On May 27, news about Chinese actress Mao Xiaotong topped the Weibo trending list. On the 25th, actor Liu Jin uploaded a video on Weibo revealing that he had been owed 16,000 yuan (RMB, the same below) by the production team of the second season of “Painting Rivers and Lakes: Bad People” since 2017 and had yet to be paid. Additionally, the lead actress of the same series, Mao Xiaotong, who recently portrayed the Princess of Northern Qi in the hit drama “Joy of Life 2,” was owed an astonishing 12.5 million yuan in salary.
Liu Jin, who has played minor roles in films such as “Goodbye Mr. Loser,” posted a two-minute video on Weibo on the 25th. He mentioned that he had frequently seen news online about colleagues, actors, staff, and assistant directors being owed wages, which reminded him of his own similar experience from years ago.
Liu Jin recalled that in the summer of 2017, he participated in the filming of the second season of “Painting Rivers and Lakes: Bad People.” During the shoot, the production was halted due to financial issues, and all actors were dismissed on the spot. He was left unpaid by the production team, owing him 16,000 yuan, which he has not recovered to this day.
He was not the only minor actor left unpaid. He learned that the show’s lead actress, Mao Xiaotong, sued the production company and won. However, the enforcement of the ruling was suspended because the company had no assets to execute against.
Liu Jin revealed that Mao Xiaotong was owed about 12.5 million yuan, and since she couldn’t recover her dues, his 16,000 yuan was certainly out of reach. By the afternoon of the 27th, “Mao Xiaotong owed 12.5 million yuan” had become the top trending topic.
According to the “Morning News,” the lawsuit mentioned by Liu Jin did indeed take place. In June 2021, a court ruling was published online. The plaintiff was Mao Xiaotong (Shanghai) Film and Television Studio, and the defendants were Wang Zhi and Beijing “Yingbainian” Cultural Media Co., Ltd., with the court of jurisdiction being Beijing Dongcheng District Court.
The first-instance judgment showed that Mao Xiaotong (Shanghai) Studio requested the court to order the “Yingbainian” company to pay the third and fourth installment service fees of 12.5 million yuan for the TV series “Painting Rivers and Lakes: Bad People (Season 2)” and a late payment penalty of 2.5 million yuan, along with legal fees of 104,800 yuan incurred for the lawsuit, which the court supported.
Research found that the “Painting Rivers and Lakes: Bad People” mentioned in Liu Jin’s video was filmed in 2017, with the producer being Beijing “Yingbainian” Cultural Media Co., Ltd. Both the official Weibo of Beijing “Yingbainian” Cultural Media Co., Ltd. and the official Weibo of “Painting Rivers and Lakes: Bad People” have been inactive since September 2017.
However, many netizens focused on Mao Xiaotong’s salary. Some pointed out that Mao Xiaotong was not as famous seven years ago, and it was surprising that she was already receiving a salary of tens of millions as a leading actress back then. “It’s hard to imagine how much top-tier stars earn,” and “ordinary people would have to start working from the late Qing dynasty to earn 10 million.” Others expressed regret, saying, “Winning the lawsuit but not getting paid,” and “Not sure how the industry prices work, but she is indeed a victim.”
Mao Xiaotong, 35, became known to the audience through the youth idol drama “Love O2O” co-starring with Zheng Shuang. Now a leading actress, her recent dramas “Nothing But Thirty” and “The Bond” have received positive responses. In the recently aired “Joy of Life 2,” she played the role of the “Princess of Northern Qi” with limited screen time, earning 9 million yuan, which some netizens found surprising.